Lamp-wick trimmer



(No vM8881.)

` '0. H.CLARK. l LAMB WIGK TRIMMER.

No. 247,888. Patented 001;; 4,1881.v

test: i [hvezor: 6fm. M

y Tay/Mg PETERS. Plwwlnhoymphur. washington. D, C.

UNITED STATES.;

v'PATENT OFFICE.,

cHAELEs H. CLARK,- OE ROCHESTER, NEw vonk.

LAMP-WlCK TRIMMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letterswlfratent- No. 247,888, dated October 4, 1881.

' Application led August 22, 1881. (No model.) Y

To all whom, itjmoty concern: Y

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CLARK, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful lImprovementin Lamp-Wick Trimmers,which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of myinvention is to produce an implement for removing the charred part from 1o the wicks of lamps and evenly and conveniently trimming said wicks of kerosene and other lamps; and it consists of parts and devices described in the following specification, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring tothe drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my newly-invented wick-trimmer; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached view, showing a part in section, and showing more clearly the relation ot' certain y zo parts; and Fig. 1 shows a modification in the formation of the parts there shown.

A and B in the iigures are two levers mutually fulcrumed at the pivot a, and provided respectively with iin ger and thumb rests h and k, designed to be operated by the thumb and fingers ofthe hand in a manner similar to that in which the levers of a pair of ordinary shears are operated. These levers,at the ends opposite the finger-rests, terminate in hollow parts 3o or spoons C and D, each having a straight side opposite the other, nand-in using the device thev said straight parts or sides are pressed upon the sides of the lamp-wick by, graspingthe same irmly between them, as shown. The lever B 3 5 is composed in part of a flat spring, d, secured at one end to the extremity of the spoon-piece C and at the other to the part f of the lever, which springyields tothepressureotthethumb upon the rest 7c, if continued after the spoonsl 4o have commenced to press upon the sides of the wick, as above stated, this said continued pressure ofthe thumb carryingl the part f of the lever Bfarther over toward the opposing lever A.

g .is a device for acting upon or trimming the wick, being preferably somesuitablestyle oi'- stift' brush, held by a rod, c, to the partfof the lever B, said trimmer or brush g resting normally over the spoon C, as shown in Fig. 1. New, it' the lever B be pressed by the thumb,

'50 as above described, after the spoons have seized the wick the brush g will be carried .horizontally across therend of the wick b to a corresponding position over the other spoon, D.l

(Shown in dotted lines.) By partially remov' ing the pressure of the thumb the spring, by its elasticity, will again carry the brush back across the wick to its normal position over the spoon C. This repeated passing of the brush across the end of the wick is designed to re.

move the charred portion theredf, depositing 6o the same in the receptacles or spoons C D. As shown in Fig. 3, the straight parts or inner edges of the spoons, where they come in contact with the wick, are provided with equal upturned iian ges or lipse e, made slightly curved 6 5 or crowning at their upper edges, and the wires 1 or Abristles of the brush sweep across the convex edges et' said lips when the brush .is oper ated as above described.

In usingtheimplementthe wick to be trimmed 7o is seized by the spoons in sucha manner that the charred portion of the same appears just above the lips e c, as shown, to be removed by the operation f of the brush, as above stated. The crowning of the lips gives to the end ot' the trimmed wick such a sha-pe as to secure for the flame the most desirable shape or outline, and the shape of the lips may be changed as desired.

It will be observed that no motion of the levers A B about the pivot e will cause the brush to change its position relatively to that of the spoon C. Only the yielding of the spring d by a pressure at k will cause the brush to move from its normal position, and the brush in no case can pass outside of the spoons.

FigA shows a modification inthe form of the lever B, in which a joint, s, is introduced and an expanding-spring, t, used to open the levers.

In use thebottom surface ci the spoons may -be rested upon the upper end of the wick-tub l, as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim as my inventionl l 1. The trimming device g'for lamp-wicks, in combination with the spoons or'parts C D, de- `95 signed to hold the wick while being trimmed, said device g'being caused to act upon the wick by means ot' the yielding lever B, substantially as shown and described.

2. The lever A, provided with the spoonloo shaped part D, and the opposing lever 13,0011- jeetions or lips e e, substantially as and for the sisting in part of the spoon C and spring d, purpose set forth.

said levers beinp mutually fulcrumed and aet- 1 ing eonjointly, iii combination with a brush g, (JHAS' H' (JLARK' 5 substantially as shown. Witnesses:

3. In combination with the trimming device E. B. VHITMORE,

or brush g, spoons C and D, provided with pro- M. D. PHILLIPS. 

